"Countries regularly track gross domestic product (GDP) as an indicator of their economic
progress, but not wealth—the assets such as infrastructure, forests, minerals, and human
capital that produce GDP. In contrast, corporations routinely report on both their income and
assets to assess their economic health and prospects for the future. Wealth accounts allow
countries to take stock of their assets to monitor the sustainability of development, an urgent
concern today for all countries.
The Changing Wealth of Nations 2018: Building a Sustainable Future covers national wealth
for 141 countries over 20 years (1995†“2014) as the sum of produced capital, 19 types of
natural capital, net foreign assets, and human capital overall as well as by gender and type of
employment. Great progress has been made in estimating wealth since the fi rst volume, Where
Is the Wealth of Nations? Measuring Capital for the 21st Century, was published in 2006. New
data substantially improve estimates of natur
